I know how to set up the Android SDK. I have done this multiple times over the years. And I had to do some patching of the driver for the ADB every single time! I have done it so many times routinely, I can do it blindfolded!

Why is it such a problem for Google to include a working USB driver with the Android SDK?

This driver was downloaded from XDA Developers forum, from this thread. I have revisited this thread every time I had to install Android SDK. The trick that the author uses is to simply replace the hardware IDs in the INF file to those that actually correspond to the actual hardware device that's being connected.

If I am not mistaken I had the same ID as the author describes in the thread, that is USB\VID_0bb4&Pid_0c94. But now when I check it I have a different one.

I recently flashed the phone. But I used the RUU original image, with the same build number as the one that was already on the phone. The RUU was the HTC original ROM Update Utility that was used to flash it. I had to do this to enable the use of Unrevoked to root and then Alpha Rev to set S-OFF. Could it be that, in some way, this changed the hardware ID? I thought hardware IDs were supposed to be permanent and fixed to the hardware?...

Using the second driver, with unedited INF file, and trying to update the ADB device in Device Manager, this is what it says.

It just simply fails to install it, because the IDs don't match. Now, these are the lines that I used in the edited version of the INF file. These now include the actual IDs of my phone.

So now when I try to update the driver again I get to the warning message, you know the usual Windows warning about installing software of unknown source.

So I click to install it anyway.

And it tries to install it but then halts and says that installation failed and something about ADB Composite.

So why does it fail to install? And why was my hardware ID changed in the first place?

Is there no "normal" way of installing this stupid driver? You know, without having to hack the damn thing or play tricks with it?...

I know that some users suggest that one should obtain the latest sync software from the manufacturer because with that also come some USB drivers that are necessary to have. But I don't want any of the HTC bloatware. And I don't have any problems transferring files between the phone and the computer when in "Disk drive" mode. So I don't need anything else. And isn't this the driver for using the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) which is part of Android SDK? I mean shouldn't Google be the one that provides a working driver then?...

Just for the record, the phone in question is HTC Desire, the original one. You know, the first one, not any of its' many siblings that followed.

Please have a look at this, and let me know what you think this could be. And also let me know if you know of any alternative ways of doing this, just for future use. I am sick and tiered of having to this every single time I want to install the Android SDK. I normally only do that when I need to reinstall Windows, but once installed and set up I usually don't touch it, but I do reinstall Windows at least two times a year.